


Family

by buftie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-13
Updated: 2010-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-15 00:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/521180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buftie/pseuds/buftie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sirius seeks refuge at James's when kicked out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

Sirius Black had family issues and everyone knew it. No one fathomed how deep the cracks in their family went. James was well aware from distressed and quickly scribbled letters written in anger, needing to vent, distraught mirror calls. Sirius was constantly looking for an out of his house and James was more than happy to give him one.

James had always been content about being an only child. No siblings for his parents to dote on, worry about, or compare him to. He'd never considered the possibility of having a sibling ever in his life. Until the summer before his sixth year at Hogwarts. 

James was used to receiving "calls" on the communication mirrors they shared from Sirius where he'd be angry, furious, hurt, and sometimes crying. This call was different. There was a finality in Sirius’s voice that plainly stated: I cannot take this anymore.

"James, I need to come over now. . . Is that possible?" Behind the "is" was a very obvious, " _I need support now, please take me in. I need you to_ ". James could read Sirius's pride through any words that exited his mouth and had never heard his friend sound so desperate and in need of support. There was a blasting, tearing sound behind Sirius and James saw the doorway and height of 12 Grimmauld Place as Sirius hurried out the front door. Sirius's face was dark with rage, hair mussed up, and what appeared to be tear tracks running down his cheeks.

"Yeah, mate. What happened?" James asked, concerned.

"I'll tell you when I see you soon." Sirius cut the conversation short as James began hearing Sirius's mother bellow angry, psychotic shrieks.

Several moments later there was a pop as Sirius apparated outside James's front door (naturally, Remus, James and Sirius were not allowed to apparate legally yet for another year, but had decided they were advanced enough to learn). James wasted no time in allowing his best friend to enter the house and urged him to keep quiet as his parents were asleep. When they were safe in James's room, the bespectacled boy began his concerned questioning.

“Tell me what happened, man,” James fixed his eyes on Sirius critically who looked a little worn and pale.

“My mother disowned me. Kicked me out,” Sirius scoffed in what seemed like disbelief and anger. She of course had threatened to do so (and worse things) to Sirius in the past, but he’d never considered that one day she may have followed through.

“What?” James couldn’t believe it. . . Or imagine a mother denouncing one of her children for any reason. James knew there was a fair amount he would never understand about wizarding families like Sirius’s.

“I don’t know whether to be pissed off or grateful as hell, you know? The way it went down, though. She was downright nasty, nastier than usual, I mean.” It was commonplace for Mrs. Black to degrade, berate, and occasionally jinx and throw things at her son who was so everything the rest of the family was not. 

James couldn’t help himself and had to ask, “What did she say? What did she do?”

“She said that she hopes I join the organization rallying against Voldemort and that I’m killed for it, that she hoped that all the insults, the violent behavior, that it would knock some sense into me but since it hasn’t done anything, she can’t take anymore of me bastardizing the good name of her family.” He chuckled bitterly, wiping a tear from his eye before it could slide over the bottom lid. “She fucking put the Cruciatus on me after I told her she was a callous, cold bitch and Voldemort would fail and I’d be smiling and laughing as her sorry ass was dragged off to Azkaban. Of course, she’s no Death Eater, but she’s done some illegal things to help Bellatrix out that I know for a fact. I could get her behind bars easy, but have I? Will I? No, I think not.” Sirius exhaled shakily, bowing his head, not wanting James to see him sad and crying and so obviously hurt by the rejection of his family. James put a reassuring hand on Sirius’s arm and Sirius leaned into the touch as support and appreciation. “I always knew my family was full of shit, James. That I was different and that they hated me. They’ve done a lot of awful things in the past, but somehow. . . I just don’t know. I didn’t think I would be. . . Shunned. By my own mother. And my father. . . My brother. . . They didn’t say a word, didn’t make a move to stop her when she cursed me. Fuck,” Sirius breathed, tears apparent in his voice.

James felt helpless as Sirius tried to keep himself composed and couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be loathed by your family.

“What’s more? She burned me off the family tree before trying to toss me down the stair case, old bitch.” Sirius clenched his fists a moment. “I’m just so angry and. . .” James knew he wanted to say ‘hurt’, ‘sad’, ‘alone’ but couldn’t manage to get the words past his lips. “I don’t know what to do. . .”

“So you haven’t a place to stay?” James asked softly. Sirius shook his head and sniffled.

“Not at the moment. I only plan to stay here tonight if it’s all right but, don’t worry. I’ll work something out for after.”

James laughed at Sirius’s naivette. “Padfoot, what are you talking about? You can stay as long as you need to, you know that. In fact, I won’t let you go elsewhere. I’ll talk to my parents in the morning, but I know they’ll understand. Fuck your family. You don’t need them; they’re not your family.” Without hesitation, James pulled Sirius into a strong hug and wasn’t surprised when his handsome friend clung to him tightly and he felt tears dampening his shoulder. “You’ve always got a place to stay so long as I’m alive, Sirius. You’re my brother.”


End file.
